During the EU-China summit, China offered the European Union assurances that it would seek peace in Ukraine but said this would be on its own terms, deflecting pressure for a tougher stance towards Russia, Reuter reports.
Premier Li Keqiang told EU leaders that Beijing would push for peace in "its own way". He also stated that China has always sought peace and promoted negotiations and is willing to continue to play a constructive role with the international community.
President Xi Jinping said he hoped the EU would treat China "independently", in a nod to Europe's close ties with the United States.
On April 1, the summit was held, where EU leaders discussed Russia's aggression against Ukraine with the leadership of China. As a result, Wang Lutun, the director of the European Department at the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said that Beijing did not intend to take any special steps to bypass Western anti-Russian sanctions, but would continue to develop normal trade relations with Russia and other countries.
Earlier, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the European Union had imposed large-scale and effective anti-Russian sanctions, joined by more than 40 countries. And if China does not support sanctions, it should at least not interfere.
Following the EU-China summit, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, stated that the European Union and China are jointly responsible for peace in Ukraine.